Beer from Here: White Street Brewing – Kölsch-style Ale

Thirty minutes northeast of downtown Raleigh, Wake Forest’s White Street Brewing Co. is a production brewery built in a 1930s Chevrolet car dealership. The town’s first and only brewery opened its doors in September 2012 and crafts three standard libations – White Street Kölsch-style Ale, White Street Scottish Ale and Hoptimist IPA – along with seasonals and limited editions.

Memorial Day weekend was beautiful, and the ideal time to conduct some “blog research.” As you may know by now, I’m all about the IPAs and stouts, but I wanted to change things up and go with an award-winning summer brew. I didn’t have to look far. White Street’s Kölsch was the 2014 World Beer Cup® Gold medal winner for German-Style Kölsch. Done and done. The beer’s history sold me as well.

I grabbed a glass and poured. A clear, golden-yellow potable with a fine white head quickly filled my drinking vessel. It was very inviting and I was more than ready to dive in headfirst. This was my treat after a morning of yard work and I was salivating. Notes of pear and melon greeted my nose right away.

As expected, the taste was clean, crisp and refreshing. The melon was more noticeable on the palate and I gathered a touch of spice from the earthy hops. The pale malt backbone reminded me of a half-eaten sleeve of crackers, but was quickly washed away by my next sip. Combined with minimal carbonation, the kölsch served as a great palate cleanser and thirst quencher. At 5.2% ABV, it’s the ideal summer beer if you’re on the hunt for something refreshing and easy to drink.

Kölsch as a style is hard not to like. It’s the perfect brew to share with a friend whose just getting into craft beer or something fun to enjoy on a warm, sunny day. It’s simple, not hoppy, and won’t do you in after one. I’ll be adding more White Street’s to my fridge this summer.

White Street recently starting bottling their year round offerings, so you can find the kölsch-style ale other beers in bars, restaurants, grocery stores, and specialty stores across North Carolina.

Reblogged this on Tarheel Taps & Corks and commented:
Wake Forest’s White Street Brewing Co. has become one of my very favorite breweries. From the excellent beer to the laid back bring-your-own-food atmosphere, it’s a great place to hear a local band, watch the big game or have celebrate with friends. Hope Off the Press has done a great job describing White Street’s signature Kolsch.